Afton Family Portrait Novels & Stories

I asked, curiosity getting the better of me. She paused, then smiled knowingly. “The Ashford lineage traces back to Domburton, their roots are very old and prestigious. Your grandparents, the original Ashfords, are still alive. You’ll meet them tonight. They host these assembly parties regularly to ensure the family remains united. Five children, all boys—imagine the competition among them!” I blinked, absorbing every detail. “And Edward is the eldest?”

Suddenly, Alfred laughed out loud, "That brat's eyes are really good!" Ellena released her clenched fists. Her palms were wet. She was not as calm as she looked on the surface. She was also afraid in her heart. Alfred was different from Jayden. He was a person who had seen great scenes and experienced great storms. When he was young, he dominated the business world. Now that he was old, even if he retired, his aura did not decrease. This might be the special thing about the Arnoult family. They had wealth and status that others could not compare to. Naturally, their confidence and aura were greater than ordinary people.

“I wasn’t here!” “I mean the Whitmore family has an existing relationship with them.” “You can be considered acquainted with somebody on a family-wide basis?” “In this world, sometimes.” Riley raised her head. “Annoying.” “Is that the fourth time?” “You can stop counting.” ◇ Riley turned the page. “Ashford.” She looked at the name. “This is another family?” “Yes. The Ashfords.” The photograph showed an elegant older couple. Below it was a short summary of their family.

After her passing, only Naomi had them. The early photos showed a little girl in a princess dress standing next to a cold-faced little boy. Gradually, the boy began showing expressions when he looked at the girl. Then came family portraits—with Maldric, Naomi's father, Naomi’s mother, and Atlas's mother. The crowd didn’t know who the adults were, but could guess they were from the two families. The final image was of Naomi in middle school and Atlas in high school, both in school uniforms, looking like something straight out of a teenage romance.

"Can I keep it?" Charlotte chuckled. "We’ll ask Daddy first." Just then, her fingers brushed against something smooth, an old leather album tucked beneath a stack of old documents. Curiously, she pulled it out and dusted off the cover. The edges were worn, the pages slightly yellowed from time. Flipping it open, she saw photographs of the Harrington family from years ago. There was Astor as a young boy, standing stiffly beside his father, looking serious even as a child. She smiled at the sight but froze when she turned to the next page.

They reflected the lights like tiny mirrors. Henrik and Lucy stood back, making sure they didn't interrupt. They waited for me while I took it all in. Maybe not all yet. I turned my eyes and it landed on a massive photo on the wall, a family portrait. The man with broadshoulders and kind eyes, the woman in pearls and a little girl between them, about six or seven years of age. That was my father, mother and me. I pressed my hand on my chest. Henrik noticed. "I will have my children come join Lucy in cleaning the house for you. They'll be glad to help. Good, hardworking children."

My gaze snapped around the table, and I found myself the center of attention. Ashton had briefed me about everyone, and I tried to match faces to names. Alfred, Andreas’s father, sat at the head of the table, his second wife, Margaret, by his side. Adam, Alfred’s first son, and his wife, Sansa, were on one side, the former looking like he'd rather be anywhere but here, while his wife stared at me, her eyes filled with curious interest. Amarinth, Alfred’s second child and first daughter, and her husband, Thomas, sat beside them, the former watching me with a frown playing on her lips while her husband gave me a smile that was so bright, it was suspicious or maybe it was just my fear clouding

The door stood slightly ajar, just as it had in Lydia’s photograph, and a faint light seeped through the crack. He motioned for Emma to stay behind him as he pushed the door open. Inside, the room was exactly as it had been in the photograph. Shelves lined the walls, filled with dusty books and scattered trinkets. A large desk sat in the center, its surface cluttered with papers and an open journal. But what drew Elliot’s attention was the large portrait hanging above the fireplace. It was a painting of a man he didn’t recognize, his sharp features and piercing eyes framed by a dark suit. The Ashworth family crest was visible on a ring on his finger, the same ring Elliot had seen in the phot

Viktor asks as he joins me in the living room. I nod. “It’s… wow,” Is all I could get out, and he chuckles as he walks further into the room. He comes to a stop in front of an intricate fireplace and looks up; this is when I notice the colossal family portrait above it. There were two adults with five young boys; the man was large and imposing, jet back shoulder-length hair and fierce dark brown eyes; three of the boys matched his appearance.

By the time she finished her engagements and got home, it was after ten o'clock. Ashton quietly went to check on the kids in their room, wanting to see them. The room was empty. However, the lights were on in the art studio, study, and Fiona's workspace. She tiptoed over and peeked through each door. What an extraordinary family this was: a painting prodigy, an IT prodigy, and another whose genius wasn't easily categorized but was undoubtedly formidable. Ashton felt her fatigue made her seem particularly inadequate in comparison.